London College of Communication (LCC) photojournalism alumna Anastasia Taylor-Lind has won first place in the Feature Picture Story category at the 69th Pictures of the Year International (POYi) photo competition for Siberian Supermodels.

© Anastasia Taylor-Lind/VII Photo

Siberian Supermodels gives us a glimpse of the real lives of supermodels in Siberia, where they come from and what drives them to leave their families to travel the world as models. Taylor-Lind travelled to Siberia, one of the most remote corners of the earth, to discover the model agencies that cultivate these supermodels. Supermodels, she says, “…who in reality are young children aspiring to become somebody else”.

According to Taylor-Lind, International model scouts scour the lengths of the trans-Siberian railway every year searching for the next new face and multi-million dollar brand. She travelled with Noah Models International as they held castings in major cities along the trans-Siberian railway. Along the way she met some of the children who are aspiring to take on the world.

© Anastasia Taylor-Lind/VII Photo

Above girls prepare to be seen by international scouts during a Noah Models International casting that was held in a Cultural Centre in the Sovetsky Rayon suburb of Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia.

Since graduating from the MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at LCC in 2008, Taylor-Lind has won a number of awards, including the Deutsche Bank Award in 2009 and being selected for the 2011 World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass. Based in London she is a member of the VII Photo Agency and her clients include the Observer Magazine, Telegraph Magazine, The Sunday Times Magazine and The New York Times.

Browse Taylor-Lind’s online portfolio and read the full Siberian Supermodels photo essay.